Technikatörténeti szemle 17. (1988-89)

TANULMÁNYOK - Vámos Éva Katalin: The Hungarian Industry at teh Budapest Spring Fairs (1918–38)

The real starter of the exhibition was the head of the stationery section of the Association of Municipal Merchants, Mr. Szénásy. His aim was „to make merchants acquainted with the results of the development of the Hungarian paper industry within an organization where exhibitors can participate without expenses" (2). The first Fair had 88 exhibitors, and 1178 orders were placed. The second Spring Fair was organized in the following year. Three more branches of industry joined it and it was moved to the Hall of Industry of the 1885 National Fair in the City Park. This remained the site of the Budapest International Fair all through the period. Between the two World Wars the „Small Hall" was built (1922) beside the Industrial Hall and sometimes the building of the Art Gallery was used as well (3). The Fair had an independent permanent office from 1910 on which then became a department of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in 1911. In this very year the Chamber of Commerce made an inquiry asking a number of experts whether the Fair should be opened to foreign companies or not. Though the opinions varied, their report to the Ministry of Commerce concluded: „Anyway, it has always been our ambition to conquer the markets of the Balkans for our industry and commerce. We are not only dependent on, but explicitly destined for it. The most serviceable tool and the best opportunity for this would be a big „sample products' fair" to be established in Budapest which would not be a forced and artificial arrangement but a natural formation presenting itself. It was a mistake on our part not to have established it earlier" (4). The first Fair which was portially international was the „Eastern Fair" of 1918. Some Bulgarian and Turkish firms participated in it. The first Fairs after World War I meant a kind of stock-listing. The 1921 Fair was organized to show which firms did still exist and what they produced. The country lost the War, lost 2/3 of its territory, was after two revolutions and a counterrevolution. Thus, it was financially and economically ruined and disordered. An inflation of dimensions unheard of before followed all this. It was in 1924 when with the aid of a Nations' League's loan this could be stopped and the Hungarian National Bank was opened on June 24, 1924. In her book, Prof. Mária Ormos doubts if this loan was absolutely inevitable, but anyway it started the period of Hungarian stabilization (5). Probably as a result of the loan and stabilization, also the Spring Fair changed its form in 1925. It became in its aims truly international and since then it has been called Budapest International Fair. The new regulations said: „Any native or foreign firm can participate". The price of the smallest exhibition area an exhibitor could rent varied from 6 to 22 pengoes (6). The regulations also said: „A11 food manufacturers (only producers) who whish to sell sample portions in the fair have to pay after the first 6 m

2 rented 25 %, for additional m2-s 10 % extra" (7). Still, throughout the period the Fair seemed to the visitor to be a market place. This market-place-like appearance of the Fairs was — though much against the aims of the organizers — however, inevitable. Namely, the Fairs had to be and were profitable all through the period, in contrast to the late 19

th century „great exhibitions". The fees paid by the exhibitors for the exhibition areas did not cover the expenses. The entrance fees paid by the visitors were needed to make the Fairs' financial ba-